To kick off the Bologna Book Fair week, Salani of Mauri Spagnol Group pre-empted Italian rights to Tuutikki Tolonen and Pasi Pitkänen’s middle-grade adventure Monster Nanny.

“We are very proud to be the publisher of this clever, imaginative, crazy novel. We know that Monster Nanny will be the perfect match for our readership!” said Francesca Manzoni from Salani.

Monster Nanny, first part of a duology telling the story of three kids who get a monstrous babysitter for the summer, has been sold to 17 territories to date and there’s a Hollywood adaptation in development by Scott Free Productions.

Another deal was struck with the Polish publisher Debit of Wydawnictwo Sonia Draga. Debit bought the rights to Maria Turtschaninoff’s YA fantasy Maresi and The Red Abbey Chronicles.The deal is Maresi’s 21st, and the anticipation grows for the film adaptation too!

“What a novel! There is truth in this prose that surpasses the limits of the genre. And the author seems to have access to some ancient Nordic formula for telling a story in the most engaging way possible,” said Joanna Walczak, publishing director of Debit, on Maresi.

Maria Turtschaninoff is known for crafting lyrical, historically inspired fantasy stories starring strong female protagonists. In addition to J.R.R. Tolkien, she counts Philip Pullman, Ursula K. Le Guin and C.S. Lewis among her favorite authors. She is a two-time winner of the Society of Swedish Literature Prize, a nominee for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, and winner of the 2014 Finlandia Junior Prize. Maria has a Master of Arts in human ecology and works full-time as a writer.

Tuutikki Tolonen is the author of several acclaimed children’s books, plays and academic articles. For Monster Nanny she received the Arvid Lydecken award. She teaches creative writing and has worked as an editor and reporter at Vinski, Finland’s only literary journal for children. Her inspiration for the Monster Nanny duology sparked during a family breakfast. “My son Leo, then six, said: ‘I heard on the radio yesterday that all moms have to go on vacation and monsters will take their places,” she says.